The Luis Fonsi smash hit, Despacito has dominated airwaves for the better part of 2017. It spent 15 weeks as number one on the Billboard charts, and it was the first YouTube video in history to reach three billion views. The Spanish language song, by every possible metric is not only one of the top songs of…
After losing his epic boxing match against Floyd “Money” Mayweather, Conor McGregor bragged that he was able to turn Mayweather into a Mexican. McGregor has been known to be loose with his lips when it comes to race, but in this case he was paying a compliment to the proud history of Mexican boxers who…
If you are not a supporter of President Trump, odds are you don’t like his Press Secretary, Sarah Huckabee Sanders. She officially replaced the cantankerous, Sean Spicer last month. As White House Press Secretary, she has the responsibility to share information about the administration and answer questions for the press corps – frequently about controversial…
The Mortgage Collaborative, the top co-op for mortgage companies, hosted its biannual conference in Nashville last week with more than 150 companies attending the event. Last year, the leading topic of discussion was the regulatory environment while this year it was all about technology and online security. Blend, Inc. a developer of consumer facing technology…
A Reuters study on consumer spending indicates that Latino spending for non-essential goods and services is in a sharp decline. A recent surge in deportations is causing Latinos, even those who are U.S. citizens, to curtail their shopping out of fear of deportation or harassment. The CEO of Target, Brian Cornell, says that Latinos are staying home…
1983 is universally considered the best draft year for quarterbacks of all time. Hall of Famers, John Elway, Dan Marino, and Jim Kelly were only three of six quarterbacks drafted in the first round that year. Some experts believe 2017 could rival that year with as many as five QB’s taken in the first round.…
Last Wednesday I had dinner with NAHREP President Leo Pareja and Raul Espinoza from Bay Equity Home Loans at Rick Bayless’ stylish Mexican restaurant, Red O, in La Jolla. Only three months old, Red O is already one of the hottest tickets in San Diego. The Bayless name incites controversy from foodies and fans of…
As I write this blog, my thoughts and prayers are with the family of Heather Heyer and the people of Charlottesville who were victimized by this tragic event. For those of us who wanted to believe that we were living in a “post-racism” era, that notion has been suspended, at least for a while. Racism…
If you’re like me, you’ve probably wondered what previous Presidents honestly think of today’s political environment. More specifically, what does the most recent Republican President think? On September 11th, I’ll get the chance to ask President George W. Bush many of the questions we have been asking ourselves. The former President will headline the NAHREP…
Last week I attended the 10th annual Housing Renaissance in San Diego. The Housing Renaissance is an off-calendar gathering of about 60 CEOs, government officials, thought leaders, advocates and policy wonks. The event is by invitation only and is co-chaired by former HUD Secretary, Henry Cisneros, and Harvard Professor, Nic Retsinas. NAHREP National President, Leo…